Laumer
The Laumer, referred to in the common tongue as the Drowned Elves, are a race of elves hailing from the continent of Quinathryn far to the southeast of Tamriel. Since the destruction of their homeland, they have invaded the eastern regions of Tamriel and claimed significant portions of Morrowind and Argonia as their own, where they hold a tyrannical sway over the native inhabitants they have subjugated. Physiology The Laumer stand slightly taller on average than the Dunmer from Morrowind, and can most easily be identified by their dark, blueish skin colour and their hair that ranges from greenish to marine blue. Their eyes are invariably silver in colour. Their deviant appearance in comparison to the Mer of Tamriel can be attributed to their isolation since the flight from Aldmeris. Whereas the Aldmer travelled northeast and found the Summerset Isles and the Maormer travelled southeast to find Pyandoneia, the ancestors of the Laumer travelled directly east and thus they eventually found Quinathryn, where they developed amidst ocean and darkness. Laumer are omnivorous in nature, having evolved to be attuned to digesting marine flora and fauna, such as fish and seaweeds. They can eat terrestrial food when called upon, but their digestive system can not digest it as efficiently and they therefore prefer not to do so unless absolutely necessary. Culture The Laumer have developed a culture in which, with the exception of their language, little of their Aldmeri heritage can be found. Their architecture and design appears as alien as their habits and societal norms, incorporating dark colours and strange metals that cannot be found in Tamriel. Their rituals are dedicated to unfathomable otherworldly deities, who also seem to be the inspiration for many of the Laumer stylistic designs. Laumer society is a matriarchal one. They are always ruled by a queen, aristocratic titles are inherited through the female line, and females occupy nearly all of the governmental and ecclesiastical positions. Males are rarely allowed governmental functions and are forbidden entirely from occupying any ecclesiastical ones. Inversely, however, nearly all military officers are male, and females are only very rarely seen in the higher ranks. The military is the one branch of society where males dominate females. Laumer are a highly xenophobic people, which is clearly expressed by their disdain of the Tamrielic peoples they subjugate after their invasion. They consider everyone else dimwitted, unenlightened and barbaric, even the sophisticated Altmer. This is because none of the people on Tamriel are aware of the maddening truth about their infernal deities, and instead worship gods that do not matter in the eyes of the Laumer. It is customary for Laumer males to grow and maintain large, well-kempt beards, which are regarded as a mark of prestige. Laumer are extremely precarious about their beards, and spend much of their time grooming their facial hair. Language Having descended from the Aldmer, the Laumer speak a language derived from Aldmeris, just like the other Mer races. Laumeris is vaguely similar to modern Altmeris, the widespread language of the High Elves, in both grammatical structure and vocabulary, meaning that those fluent in Altmeris can understand basic sentences and concepts spoken in Laumeris. Laumer often refuse to learn, let alone speak Tamrielic, as they consider the language to be as degenerated as the people who speak it. Those that do learn it generally do so out of a professional necessity, such as spies and scouts who need to gather information. Most Laumer will instead rely on translators when they need to interact with non-Laumeri people. One notable exception to this, however, is the immortal Laumeri queen, Isarhel, who prefers to speak directly to those outsiders fortunate (or unfortunate) enough to be allowed an audience, so that she can personally charm them, persuade them, or instill fear and awe in them through her words. Religion The Laumer have completely renounced the Divines and have no interest in the Daedric Princes, instead favouring a group of far more sinister deities. In the deepest reaches of Quinathryn's abysses, they discovered maddening, unfathomable truths about the otherworldly entities they know as the Drowned Gods (Lau'ada). These grim, uncaring beings are conjectured by Tamrielic scholars to be aspects of Sithis, the personification of the void, though the Laumer are not aware of the existence of Sithis and thus worship the Drowned Gods like an independent pantheon. Worship of the Drowned Gods is organised by the all-female Clergy of the Drowned, a sect that wields considerable power in Laumer society. Archclerics sometimes become so powerful that they are second only to the queen herself, and it is not uncommon for them to try and wrestle the throne from the ruling dynasty (though success in such an endeavour is not very likely). Trivia *The Laumer are to some extent inspired by the Drow from the Dungeons & Dragons franchise. Gallery Isarhel_1.png|Isarhel, queen of the Laumer Laumer_soldier1.png|A typical Laumer footsoldier Laumer_general1.png|A general of the Laumer armies Laumer_cleric.png|A Cleric of the Drowned Category:The Darkest Night Category:Races Category:The Daedra Wars